Northern Trust Corp Grows Stake in Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp has increased its stake in Wintrust Financial Corporation by 20.2%, owning 852,583 shares valued at approximately $95.9 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Several large investors have also adjusted their holdings in Wintrust Financial, with Park Place Capital Corp raising its stake by an extraordinary 1,264.7% during the same period.
• Wall Street analysts have boosted their price targets for Wintrust Financial, with the consensus rating being a "Moderate Buy" and a price target of about $145.77.

Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC - Free Report) by 20.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 852,583 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 143,401 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.27% of Wintrust Financial worth $95,881,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTFC. Park Place Capital Corp raised its holdings in shares of Wintrust Financial by 1,264.7% in the 1st quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 232 shares of the bank's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Wintrust Financial in the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Wintrust Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in Wintrust Financial by 33.9% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the bank's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in Wintrust Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $78,000. Institutional investors own 93.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WTFC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Wintrust Financial from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $160.00 target price (up from $141.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $157.00 price target (up previously from $155.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Wintrust Financial from $137.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $162.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Wintrust Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $145.77.

Wintrust Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WTFC opened at $134.02 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market cap of $8.97 billion, a PE ratio of 12.68 and a beta of 0.85. The company's fifty day moving average is $127.79 and its 200 day moving average is $119.84. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 52 week low of $89.10 and a 52 week high of $142.04.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 21st. The bank reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $670.78 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $661.43 million. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 18.06%.During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 7th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 7th. Wintrust Financial's payout ratio is 18.92%.

Insider Activity at Wintrust Financial

In other news, insider Edward J. Wehmer bought 3,919 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $26.35 per share, for a total transaction of $103,265.65. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 3,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $103,265.65. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO David A. Dykstra sold 14,942 shares of Wintrust Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.53, for a total transaction of $1,965,321.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 182,208 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,965,818.24. The trade was a 7.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.01% of the company's stock.

Wintrust Financial Profile

Wintrust Financial Corporation operates as a financial holding company. It operates in three segments: Community Banking, Specialty Finance, and Wealth Management. The Community Banking segment offers non-interest bearing deposits, non-brokered interest-bearing transaction accounts, and savings and domestic time deposits; home equity, consumer, and real estate loans; safe deposit facilities; and automatic teller machine (ATM), online and mobile banking, and other services.

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